U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of Florida
99 N.E. 4 Street,
Miami, FL 33132
(305)961-9001
June 23, 2008
NEWS RELEASE:
BROWARD SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES AND TWO OTHERS CHARGED IN UNDERCOVER CORRUPTION PROBE
Broward Sheriff’s Deputies Richard V. Tauber, 37, and Kevin D. Frankel, 38, and two co-defendants, Robert Thomas Baccari, 38, and Christopher C. Provenzano, 37, were charged in complaints filed today with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fifty kilograms of cocaine, announced R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, and Al Lamberti, Broward County Sheriff. Specifically, one complaint charges Tauber, Baccari, and Provenzano with conspiring to commit extortion under color of official right by accepting bribes to protect and facilitate the interstate transportation of krugerrands and diamonds, which had been represented to them to be the proceeds of drug transactions, and by transporting fifty (50) kilograms of purported cocaine, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951 and Title 21, United States Code, Section 846. A separate complaint charges Frankel with conspiring to commit extortion under color of official right by providing countersurveillance for the transportation of fifty (50) kilograms of purported cocaine, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951 and Title 21, United States Code, Section 846.
Approximately one year ago, BSO brought this matter to the attention of the FBI. The resulting 10-month undercover investigation was jointly conducted by the FBI and BSO. According to the complaint, Tauber, a 14-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the City of Pompano Beach Police Department, Frankel, a Broward Sheriff’s Deputy since October 2006, and Baccari and Provenzano, long-time friends of Tauber not employed by the BSO, provided a variety of illegal services to individuals who represented that they were involved with a high ranking member of an organized criminal group purportedly operating out of the New York/New Jersey area and a purported Colombian drug distributor whose organization operated out of Miami. In reality, the individuals were undercover FBI agents, and the purported criminal activities were all staged operations conducted as part of the investigation.
According to the complaint, in exchange for cash payments, the defendants were involved in the following criminal activities, among others:
Tauber and Baccari transported krugerrands purportedly worth $125,000 to $150,000 from South Florida to Connecticut that were represented to have been the proceeds of narcotics transactions. For this service, Tauber received $5,000 in cash, plus an additional $2,000 for expenses.
Tauber and Provenzano transported diamonds from New Jersey to South Florida that were represented to be the drug proceeds of a Colombian drug trafficker. For this service, Tauber received $5,000 in cash and Provenzano received $2,000 in cash.
Tauber, Baccari, and Provenzano transported diamonds purportedly worth $500,000 from New Jersey to South Florida. For this service, Tauber received $5,000 in cash, Baccari and Provenzano each received $2,000 in cash, plus an additional $3,000 in expenses.
Tauber, Baccari, and Provenzano transported fifty (50) kilograms of purported cocaine from Miami to the Pompano Beach Municipal Airport, where it was loaded on a plane purportedly destined for the New York/New Jersey area. Frankel did countersurveillance around the perimeter of the Pompano Beach Municipal Airport. For this service Tauber, Frankel, Baccari and Provenzano received a total of $20,000.
The defendants would be paid in cash at the conclusion of each criminal episode in which they participated. As a result of their criminal activities, Tauber, Baccari, Provenzano, and Frankel received a total of approximately $51,500. All meetings were video and audio recorded.
U.S. Attorney Acosta stated, “Today, we announce another prosecution of corrupt police officers, who have sold their badges and betrayed their colleagues. Like two weeks ago, today’s prosecution was the result of close cooperation between the federal and local authorities. I want to thank the Broward Sheriff for bringing this matter to the attention of the FBI. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the honest men and women of law enforcement. This is a time to remember the many officers who have risked, and even sacrificed, their lives in the line of duty, and to be glad that the actions of these few can no longer diminish the hard work and dedication of the many dedicated police officers who serve honestly here in South Florida.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan I. Solomon added, “Corrupt police officers who misuse their position to protect what they believe to be criminal organizations must be dealt with swiftly and severely. The community expects and deserves law enforcement officers with the highest integrity, who will not be swayed by monetary gain. In addition, the FBI specifically thanks the BSO for their quick referral of this matter and their continued cooperation throughout this sensitive investigation.”
“I want to make it clear to the residents of Broward County that this investigation was initiated by members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office. When we realized the complexity of the violations we immediately sought the assistance and participation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I am particularly proud of the BSO investigators who did this investigation and of their efforts to root out corruption in our ranks,” said Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti
All defendants face maximum sentences of life in prison and fines of up to $4,000,000 if convicted of the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. In addition, they face up to 20 years in prison for the alleged conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and fines of $250,000.
Mr. Acosta commended the efforts of the numerous special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the detectives of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit who worked on this investigation. In addition, Mr. Acosta thanked Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti for his cooperation during this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Paul F. Schwartz.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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